Third in line to the British throne, Prince Harry and his men will this week pose as hooded hostages in a training exercise in which they will use tear gas and stun grenades to free Harry from Islamist terrorists. The news comes after a Sun tabloid newspaper investigation revealed a series of threats against Harry posted on extremist websites since the army announced his deployment to Iraq in late May.

The extremist website messages represents “clear incitement”, the Sun quoted Internet terrorism expert Neil Doyle as saying on Sunday. One message reportedly read: “Prince Harry will be sent to Iraq to be killed by Muslims.” Another allegedly added: “May Allah give him what he deserves – like his fellow crusaders.”

“Harry would be the ultimate prize for one of these insurgent groups. He will be worth his weight in gold in propaganda terms if kidnapped,” Doyle was quoted as saying.

The Sun did not state whether is has been possible to verify the authenticity of the Internet threats it uncovered on sites it said are linked to exiled Syrian-born firebrand cleric Omar Bakri, who two years ag fled to the Lebanese capital, Beirut when British police were considering charging him with incitement to treason over remarks he made praising the 7 July 2005 suicide attacks that killed 52 London commuters.

Army chiefs fear that if Harry is seized after he arrived in war-wracked Iraq, he could be paraded on TV, according to the Sun. Harry, 22, together with fellow soldiers from the Blues and Royals regiment is over the next few days taking part in role-play exercises in the eastern British county of Norfolk where ‘armed enemy kidnappers’ take hostages and troops storm a building in a rescue mission, the Sun said.